A product advertisement highly requires the information delivered to consumers to be true.
However, in fact, there are many companies delivering misleading advertisements in attempt to persuade customers to buy the product. Cosmetic companies are quite obvious examples of this ethical issue.
Here are 2 examples:
Rodial launched an email marketing campaign for the new body cream product featuring by the actress Mila Kunis.
The misleading part of the ad is about using only £75 cream to get a body like Kunis.
This product was claimed to deliver a “spectacular volume-multiplying effect, lash by lash”
Dior’s rival – L’Oreal lodged a complaint saying that Dior’s advertisement “misleadingly exaggerated the likely effects of the product.”
Both of these advertisement campaigns got banned after that.
Obviously, all the time, cosmetic’ users have been tricked by the product’s advertisements. The advertisements, specifically the images used in them, usually deliver the misleading and exaggerating effects of the products. Now, with the available image manipulation technology, cosmetic companies sink even further and further into this ethical issue. All of these advertisements together set unrealistic standards for consumers, especially women.Some women are really obsessed with the images/standards these companies create which results in some unhealthy and dangerous actions.
In my opinion, now, consumers are more aware of this issue. Most of them don’t believe 100% in cosmetic’s advertisements. They’d rather go online and check the reviews for products than just believe in the advertisements and go purchasing immediately. If that’s the case, then is advertising meaningful and important anymore?
Cosmetic companies are turning adverts into something ugly. Even though cosmetic advertising still helps expose the product to consumers, it is definitely losing other function of building interest in customers to buy the product.
Advertising is all glitter and little truth.
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